Jonathan Peters PhD

Caveman marketing tactics no longer work. It used to be that if we took out enough ads, bought enough impressions, and had a persuasive message, we could wear prospective customers down until they eventually bought.

But we are no longer in charge—they are.

That is why we must change our marketing concept from the "Caveman Way" to the "WOO Way." A few marketers understand that the game has changed. Rather than hitting customers over the head with ad after ad, they go to potential customers where they are. Once there, they begin a relationship with them, in essence courting them.

Cavemen Can't Market uses the analogy of a suitor courting, or WOOing, an intended until she not only becomes a customer but moves through stages of commitments until she is loyal, to the point of making the suitor part of her identity. In the end, she will market for the suitor, sharing her newfound joy with her friends.

Inside this analogy there are three stages of marketing:

1. Attraction
2. Conversation
3. Relationship

Marketers must understand these stages, as well as the pitfalls within them, to be successful in the new marketing era. Those who don't will be as obsolete as a caveman.

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